The Man In The Silk Black Cloak
by Sexy Blizzard
Summary: FULL SUMMARY INSIDE! Who is this man in the silk black cloak? And what does he know about Hermione's childhood? All she has to go on is a name. A name of Tom Riddle. But is all really as it seems?
1. The Beginning

**A/N Hey guys. It's me again. Thank you to all who have reviewed and stayed with me through the very trying process of writing. Thank you to all those who have reviewed. I know this story won't disappoint you. I've been working on this for MONTHS. All of this is my plot line and my story. I hope you like it. Some of the events concerning the murder were taken out of history. That, I do not own. Nor do I wish to. **

_P.S. This is unbeta'd._

_Summary: Hermione doesn't remember her life as a child. All she has is the memory of a man with a long silver beard giving the order for a group of madmen to kill her parents. Hermione thinks that when she goes out into the forbidden forest at night, she is meeting with the man who killed her parents. But is he? All she has to go on is his silk black cloak and a name. A name of Tom Riddle. But is it all really as it seems? In this story of twists and turns, join Hermione, as she discovers who this man is…and who **really** murdered her parents._

Chapter One: The Beginning

**Arthur's POV**

Night descended upon our mansion as my family sat in the living room. My beautiful wife was round with our second child and her smile radiated throughout the room as she sat down on the floor and bounced Hermione, our giggling two year old, in her lap.

I watched as pale skin complemented the glow of olive and ivory. Our daughter's Cinnamon eyes smiled into my wife's dark ruby. I watched as gold ringlets entwined around silken vipers of my wife's inky black hair. The flickering crackling flames of orange, yellow, and red gave the faces of my two favorite girls an ethereal glow.

And for a moment, I could see into the future. I felt luckier than most father's would. Hermione would be positively stunning as a young woman. And no doubt all in Slytherin would flock to her like moths to flame. That very same recognition was why I wanted her bonded to Tom. I didn't want to have the responsibility of chasing off every boy who came within five meters of her. I wanted her to chase them off instead.

But negative thought gave into positive as I realized that someday, my daughter would have a life like mine. She would live in a house like this one. She would inherit all we own. She would have children of her own and Tom would be there to help provide. And I relaxed further into my high backed leather wing chair with my happy thoughts.

That is, until a knock interrupted the laughter that my wife Celestine, and Hermione were currently sharing together.

I saw our curious two year old look in the direction of the door. She than proceeded to crawl out of my wife's lap and stand up, a new feat our two year old had learned. And she began to walk towards the wooden door. The repetitive sound of knocking again reached my ears. Whoever it was, they were being very impatient.

Smirking Ruby eyes found mine. "Um, I think we need to get that."

"I'll get it."

I left my beautiful wife for just a moment and walked towards the broken record sound of knocking at the front door. And I saw Hermione had formed her hand into a child's fist and was knocking at the door with her head cocked. So the mystery person at the door wasn't impatient after all. Apparently, Hermione had learned a new skill. She turned around when she saw me and she beamed and held out her little hands for me to pick her up.

I picked up the jubilant child and her voice was as the tinkling of bells as she exclaimed "I knock!"

"Yes Hermione, you did. Good job. Let daddy answer the door now, ok?"

"Me help?"

"Yes Hermione. You can help."

Together we both turned the golden knob to open the door.

It was always a rarity to see a Slytherin laughing. Even more surprising was exactly who was laughing.

I stood stock still, surprised to find Tom Riddle standing in the doorway. Patience was not exactly a virtue of Slytherins. Me and wife both knew that. And yet, there he was, the picture perfect man for my daughter to marry. Powerful, intelligent, and kind. And of course, very structured. And the most important thing, was that I knew that Hermione liked him. And she did of course. Very much.

"Tom!"

"Hermione, look who's here."

But Hermione was already trying to struggle from my arms to get into his. She would abandon me, just like that, for him. And she wasn't even a teen yet! Finally, when she realized I wouldn't let her go, she broke. And my father's heart splintered to pieces as I watched.

Her face was drawn. Not just defeated but torn, like she'd been shattered. It was like a part of her had been ripped away when I refused to let her go to him.

Her cinnamon eyes went the deepest shade of brown and tears leaked from her eyes, and a small whimpering sound escaped her soft voice.

"Hermione, would you like Tom to hold you?"

My favorite smile lit her face up like the sun that she already so despised. "Tom!" But my heart ached in an entirely different way as she looked at him.

I handed my baby girl over to Tom who took her in his arms with a greedy joyous look. Already they were great friends. And she couldn't even talk yet!

"So, you learned to knock today?"

"I knock!"

He laughed. "So, has your daughter learned anything or showed any interest in anything new yet?"

"She gets fascinated by everything every single day. We actually think she is currently trying to learn to read. Every day she goes up into our private library and will study very hard on words in huge books. You'd be proud. She seems to go after the incredibly long chapter books. Pictures annoy her unless they are hanging on a wall."

Tom was quiet for a moment and I had a feeling he was looking through our daughters mind. My suspicions were confirmed when he gasped and a smile spread across his face as he muttered 'ingenious.'

He smiled. "Would you mind me tutoring her and teaching her the basic things I know?"

"Of course not Tom. That would be fantastic. I would love for her to be ahead of the class."

He smirked. "So would I."

"So, I must ask, the fact that you have showed up here is quite a surprise. Despite the fact that tonight is the night of the ceremony, shouldn't you be away from here planning your attack?"

"I've already planned it. My deatheaters are performing a trial run for me. They will report to me, when they return, of the successfullness of their venture."

"Hmm. I must say, don't approve of the method you are planning to use in taking over the world, perse. But, if anyone should be able to lead us in the right direction, it would be you."

"Thank you sir. That means a lot."

"Oh, pish posh with the sir talk. Call me Arthur. You've known me long enough by now that I think you have earned that right."

Heels clicked on the floor of the marble halls and I was overjoyed yet dismayed at the reminder of what tonight held.

Celestine had changed because this was the night of the ceremony that would bond Hermione and Tom forever. Now we just had wait for two things. His deatheaters and midnight.

Her silky voice rang out in the grand hall. "So Tom, are you staying for dinner?"

He seemed genuinely delighted. And like always, I was shocked that he held no attraction for my vampiric wife. "I would love to stay for dinner, that is, if you will have me? I do not wish to impose."

"Not at all. We would be delighted."

"Excellent. So you will be over for dinner and of course I would assume your deatheaters as well, Tom?"

"Oh no Arthur. Now _that _would be asking too much." His eyes were a little troubled and he cast an anxious glance at Hermione. But I'd seen the deatheaters around Tom. They all had excellent behavior.

Celestine nodded and genuinely smiled at Tom. But if the deatheaters were out working for Tom than I knew they'd be ravenous if they didn't eat before the ceremony. And there was nothing worse than a room of growling stomachs.

"No. It's no trouble at all. I'll just wake up the house elves."

I could tell Celestine disapproved of my decision. But why?

"Nagini!"

My attention was drawn to the great snake on the floor. I'd seen my fair share of snakes in my time, being in Slytherin. But I still preferred birds. Snakes and their wise eyes made me uncomfortable. Bu I was the only one in the room who shared the sentiment.

My wife adored snakes, Hermione was enamored with them, and Tom was the heir of Slytherin. So I kept my thoughts to myself.

"Oh, it seems Hermione has found your, erm, snake."

"That certainly seems to be the case. Hermione, do you wish to play with Nagini?"

I watched apprehensively as the Snake's forked tongue reached out to lick Hermione's cheek. It was like some travesty of a pet dog. But this was what Nagini always did. I'd watched them play many times before. Nagini had never bitten Hermione. But just because I was used to the snake and the fact that Voldemort was a parselmouth, didn't mean that I had to like it.

"And as per usual, I am to trust that it will not bite her?"

"I don't even have to order her to refrain from biting our little one. I would never harm Hermione. No matter what. And neither will Nagini. She is connected to me deeper than the blood that runs through my bones."

I liked the way he said 'our'. She may be his bond mate but she was still my daughter. And I already felt like I was losing her as it was. It made me feel better that at least he respected my control over Hermione.

A succulent voice rang out across the marble hall. "Be that the case, maybe Hermione should adopt Nagini." Celestine gestured her chin to the floor where Hermione was touching Nagini's teeth. Than she looked up at me, smiled, and winked.

"Pretty."

Tom sat down beside her cross legged as she played. I watched as the great snake slid between their palms. Hermione looked at the snake than looked at Tom. She began to per his hair as she had pet the snake and he smiled at her warmly. "Pretty."

"You Hermione, are very, very pretty. Would you like to go and play the piano now?"

Her eyes lit up like someone had set them on fire."Play! Play!"

"Yes Tom, it has been far too long."

"Upon your insistence milady, I shall do as you request." I watched as he made a bow to my wife.

"Oh Tom, I am flattered. Please, you simply must play."

And I watched as he sat Hermione on his lap and his fingers sped across the ivory and ebony keys. I looked from Hermione to Tom. Tom lost in the music and Hermione utterly fascinated. She would most certainly make a wonderful musician.

"Maybe you should teach her how to play Tom?" I suggested. After all, we were all musically gifted.

"Of course. Hermione these are the keys on the piano. They begin in this order..."

**Celestine's POV**

I watched as Tom showed our daughter to play the piano. I understood every word, having already learned this myself thousands of years ago, but he had a way of making everything seem new, as if you had never heard it before. My daughter, who soaked up information like a sea sponge, hung on his every word. They were so perfect together. I could easily see that they had excellent chemistry. Ah, if only the deatheaters would never be involved in her life, they would be the absolute perfect couple.

Because even though Hermione and Tom were meant to be together and I had no objections whatsoever, I did not like the fact that Hermione would have to spend time around the deatheaters. They were far more than an unruly lot. They were dangerous!

Maybe not dangerous to Tom. But certainly to Hermione, who was still just a baby. Just a precious little toddler! That was why I was angry when my husband suggested the deatheaters stay for dinner. And I was thankful that Tom seemed to have the wit to know that the deatheaters were dangerous too. I wasn't happy that my husband was being so light about this.

I poked my head around the corner to watch Tom continue to teach Hermione. And he told Hermione to play the keys he had showed her and name them off as she played them. Hermione had always been a bright little thing, a true genius. But now she was starting show a capacity for learning that neither me nor Arthur had ever seen. It was truly amazing to watch her learn. And even more amazing to watch her apply the knowledge she had learned.

That was when I saw the orange and red flames turn emerald. And my heart froze with fear. Who had ever been scared of a flame?

**Voldemort's POV**

They came out of the fireplace one by one, their black robes swirling about them. Once in formation, they all stood stiff, silent, still, and cold, never once breaking their perfect arrangement of bodies, waiting for their next command. I could feel shock coming from each deatheater as they registered the fact that I was playing with a mere toddler. Their thoughts ran through my head and I wished for a moment that I wasn't a natural legilimens. Their thoughts were annoying.

_Why is he playing with a child? _

_Is she his daughter?_

_Will she be the next dark lord? No...that's dark queen..._

_What is special about her that has caught his attention? Everyone that is special is someone he always wants. But if she is special than why so young? _

_I love her hair. _

_She has the prettiest eyes. And the kindest face._

_I can't wait to teach her potions. Obviously the child has an amazing intellect._

I looked over at Snape and nodded my head, showing my appreciation of his thoughts. I always liked listening to his thoughts because they so closely reflected mine. I most certainly approved of Snape. And if anything were to ever happen to me...I would want him to be with her in my stead. He would make her almost as happy as I would.

I nodded to my wife and, as gracious a host as she always was, Celestine made the announcement for dinner.

"Come, let us go to the dining hall. Our food is waiting."

**Arthur's POV**

Tom had great command of his deatheaters. I had never seen another person with such great power as he had, for such perfection amongst people was rare. And yet, he controlled each of them with the utmost ease. I was shocked with the grace and air of dominance that he held over them. If I could be anymore impressed, I would be.

**Voldemort's POV**

I had led by example many times and this instance was no different. I held an air of prestige, showing my deatheaters that this was no time for acting like a fool. With my actions and kind words, I dictated that these were friends to us. But the way I spoke gave the impression to my deatheaters that these were very powerful friends. And they were indeed, there was no mistaking.

I had gotten used to huge mansions since I had been sorted into Slytherin. But none that I had seen were as beautiful as this one. The outside was a fortress. The design borrowing back to a more Victorian Goth century. The style itself nearly as extinct as the house. I liked the thorns and roses enveloped over black brick. And the shingles on the roof were made of an even deeper black stone. Ivy and dead trees grew around us and gave the house a forbidding taste. And willows were interspersed around the yard.

But the inside was what I enjoyed the most.

The furniture would cost more than the whole of the Malfoy Mansion. Most would say that the Malfoy Mansion had the best furniture. No. I knew the truth behind it. Some of it was real. Some of it was cheap. Some of it was enchanted to give the feel of old magick. It was nothing. It was sickening. It was degrading compared to this. That was NO comparison to this.

Each detail had been so perfectly carved and worked on to the Nth degree. And there was no mistake to be found. No piece of furniture in this house that didn't belong. I enjoyed the tone of the deep green wood the covered the walls. I enjoyed that the house was interspersed with gold knobs instead of silver. As I felt personally that the gold complemented the green even more.

We were lead into the dining room by our hosts and as usual, I was sat by Hermione. Her food had already been cut up and her perfect white little teeth bit into the meat with great enjoyment. Even at such a young age, she showed grace and prestige.

I watched as she sat up straight in her high chair and used her golden utensils to pick up the food. Yes, she would most certainly be a leader amongst Slytherins. And I was overjoyed that I would forever be alive to see it with the death of Potter.

The chandelier hung from the ceiling. Diamonds and gold interwoven into the most beautiful, intricate carving I had ever seen. The only piece of decor that would be worth more than this fine delicacy was Slytherin's Locket, which was currently hidden in a location that only I knew.

Our choice for this night's meal was an exquisite Italian cuisine that Hermione seemed to enjoy just as much as I. She seemed to have very refined taste for a two year old. Many of my deatheaters were sharing this same sentiment.

The conversations interspersed with the sounds of scrapes of golden culery upon golden plates. And the conversation itself ranged from Hermione to the ruling of the wizarding world and the philosophyh's I would be putting forth. That was when severus spoke up for the first time that night.

"The food has been excellently prepared and I must say, I revere the beauty of your home in its entirety."

"Why thank you. And might I ask your name? It is not everyday I meet a gentleman such as yourself.."

"I am Severus Snape milady."

"Ah yes. You come from a very powerful background. I have known your family for centuries. I will soon explain what I mean to you when the time is right."

"You have piqued my interest milady. If my intellect serves me right, I would be correct in thinking that the phrase you used not only a second ago would allude to the fact that you have been alive for a very long time."

"Your intellect serves you well. But next time, do feel free to say what you must Severus. I am not insulted or ashamed at my vampirism. I was born this way and born this way I shall remain until my days are utterly spent."

"Milady, what of your daughter?"

She froze. "You think she could be...?"

"Not only just a vampire but a witch as well. Look."

And sure enough, when I broke away from the interesting conversation, Hermione was making a golden spoon float. With my wand!

"Bravo Hermione! Bravo!"

The deatheaters followed my lead. Whistles could be heard up and down the table. And Hermione's parent's beamed with pride. And at four corners of Hermione's mouth were pearly razor sharp teeth. Severus had been correct. Hermione was a vampire.

I was curious as to how her parents had not noticed and how Severus could. Maybe love blinded them to what they didn't want to see? But how would Severus notice in the first place?

I looked across the table into the troubled black eyes of the man who was staring at my would be bond mate. His eyes held nothing but reverence and respect, as they should. But they also held a touch of...protectiveness? Did he not know it was my job alone to protect her? She had no shield yet. Nor had she need of one.

The main conversation broke out into individual discussions. But I kept my mouth closed and watched. He was still staring at her as dinner neared it's end.

I looked away from Severus and towards our hosts who nodded in recognition of my unspoken question. It was time.

"If you will all follow me, the bonding ritual shall begin."

**A/N Tell me what you thought. Did you like it? Those of you who read my stories know my rules. No reviews? No new chapters.**


	2. The Slytherin's Serpent

**A/N Wow! I did not expect so many wonderful reviews much less seven. Thanks for reviewing. And I promise you that this will probably be different than most of the things you have read so far. Because I wanted to make this story in such a way that I myself would enjoy reading it if I were the reader. So I hope you enjoy it too. Here is the chapter you wan ted from me. Chapter two. It would be nice if you guys could review again.**

I could hear high quality dragon hide boots as they clicked against the cold stone floor. And it only got louder the deeper we went into the dungeons underground. And our footsteps bounced off the walls.

**Clomp**_ Clomp_ clomp. **Click** _click_ click. **Tat** _tat_ tat. **Shh** _shh_ shh.

I could almost feel myself begin to lull in the repetitive monotone, the cacophony of the symphony of shoes. It we hadn't walked for so long and I wasn't so tired, I would be driven mad by it. It was a wonder how I never got annoyed in the dungeons. But than again, I was never with this many people in such a cramped space. My sweetheart Hermione was the lucky one. She was already asleep. Warm and bundled.

My skin, which had always been sensitive, was chaffed by the cold. But I didn't begrudge her the warmth. She was a woman and she needed it far more than I.

I wasn't told much about where we were going which I didn't feel comfortable with at all. But I knew that in this dungeon was probably a room that was connected to all the elements in a powerful way. I could feel it. Because the further down I walked, the more magick felt useless to use. And so I waited.

We stopped a floor above the lowest level and the first thing I was greeted with was a room. It was comfortable. It looked like the rest of the house. Old, righteous, prestigious, and powerful. But located in that room were two ornately carved dark wood double doors.

Celestine hung the lantern she had been carrying on a peg just outside the doors and she turned to the deatheaters. Suddenly, candles everywhere lit the dark forbidding room and I could feel my deatheaters fear. Being in a dark room with a vampire was disconcerting for everyone. No matter how esteemed, powerful, or nice the person may be. I quickly wondered how Arthur could stand it.

But than again, Hermione was a full blood vampire and I'd slept in her rocking chair with her on my chest hundreds of times. Maybe it had to do with…dare I say it? Love. I found it odd that I didn't mind the fact that I loved her. I just hoped I wasn't losing my touch. Celestine sounded like she spoke to the darkness itself. But than again, darkness was an old friend for vampires and vamprices alike.

"I request that you stay here. House elves will come at your beck and call if you wish for refreshment, nourishment, entertainment, or warmth. I tamper my good graces with a word of caution, if you wander around, you will get lost. And this house may just eat you alive. I will not come and save you."

She nodded to me and than looked directly into Snape's eyes. I mentally praised her for her bravery. Most women would shy away from him upon greeting. I'd only met two women who hadn't at least shivered and heaved. One was petting my hair and the other was staring at Snape.

Celestine turned to me and smiled a welcoming smile. It didn't quell my annoyance.

"Come my lord. Severus Snape, I also request your presence at this meeting if you would feel so inclined as to attend. It may put strange thoughts to rest within the fortress that is your mind. Come."

I could see Snape was puzzled by Celestine and her words. And as much as I hated to admit it, they gave me pause as well. But I agreed with her sentiment, this situation was indeed puzzling.

Why was she so interested in Snape? And why did Hermione and Celestine take so quickly to him? I knew for sure he wasn't a vampire. And other vampires had the same reaction as normal women.

I shook off my thought as, together, our odd group of four walked through the double doors into the most open, beautiful office I had ever seen.

There were no windows. But being in Slytherin got you used to the fact that windows were not accepted. The wood was cherry and the walls were a velvet emerald green. Any knob or decoration was pure gold. Nothing here was fake, just as the rest of the house.

But what made this room better than the mansion above, was the books. Tome upon tome sat gleaming there gleaming in the light of the blue and green fire. Some books that were over three thousand years old, sat there as though they'd been made yesterday.

I looked around for a moment, appraising the room, when my eyes fell on Arthur who was up on a solid gold ladder searching for a book while myself and Severus were ushered into two deep black comfortable leather wing backed chairs.

An emerald and blue fire blazed in the hearth and it cast shadows on the velveteen patterns of the emerald green walls. Fire was either green because someone was traveling by floo or because of the logs. And it was illegal to have those colored logs if you were connected to the floo network. So that would mean this room wasn't connected.

But I couldn't blame the Valentine's for having it disconnected. This collection of tomes was damn near priceless. But what I also found interesting was that it was also the only source of light in the room besides a lone black candle that sat on Arthur's cherry wood desk. This was not magick .These candles lit automatically without magick.

"I have been to this house many times since I was but a teen yet never has there been mention of an underground dungeon, though I already supposed you had one. But something is different about this dungeon."

"You are wise beyond years my lord. Magick made this house log ago. Dark Magick. But it was dark magick that was infused with all the elements. That is why you will find that your wands don't work, as I'm sure your deatheaters have already discovered by now. I'm positive you already noticed the lack of use of wands."

I looked around and saw the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. And I than took notice of the ceiling itself. I was awed. "This is the ancient underground lair of El Morsus which leads to the infamous island of isle de muerte."

"You are correct. Here is an interesting fact, this house has been in our family line for centuries."

"How far back?"

"Since Salazar Slytherin himself."

"You are descendents of Slytherin?"

"Yes. But the line breaks off at the third generation since Slytherin so we're ok. We're barely related at all in fact."

"But what about parseltongue?"

"Hermione has never shown any inclination for speaking to snakes. Even though my husband can do it."

"Interesting."

"Ah, here it is!"

"You found the book containing the ritual?"

"Yes."

"I know of what the regular ritual entails but how does this one differ? For surely there is a difference."

"There is. This ritual has been worked many times from witch to wizard or vampire to vamprice. In some rare cases it has been worked from wizard to vamprice or vampire to witch. But never has it been worked where one is a wizard and the other is a hybrid. So we had to search for a long time to find this. It has never been performed but Salazar Slytherin had the foresight to write this. So that if a situation like this ever arose, a pureblood would not needlessly die.."

"What do you mean?"

"The original ritual would kill Hermione. It's invoking either too much magic of the lamias or too much magic of the ethereal."

Snape looked confused and I heard an exasperated little sign from the vamprice across from me. "Lamias is the magick of the witch. Ethereal is the magic of the vampire."

"I see."

"So that is why we had to find the right ritual before we could proceed."

Arthur walked towards us, book in hand. "But now that we have it we have to inform you both of what will happen before hand."

"Since Hermione is a hybrid, this ritual will be doubly powerful. Stronger than compulsion. More forceful than imperious. Actually, this bond you commit to will be stronger than the unbreakable vow."

"Forgive me, but what role do I play in such a ritual?"

"If you are who I think you are Severus, I will explain it to you. First, remove your shirt and frock coat."

"And I must do this...?"

"To see if you bear the symbol."

"I watched not as Snape removed his top but as Celestine took out a tiny needle and pricked Hermione's hand.

Several things happened at once. Snape's black eyes glowed red and he came at Celestine full force. It took all of my strength to keep him at bay. But Celestine just smiled.

Snape, the controlled pureblood Slytherin, was trying to attack a vamprice, a woman, who was just standing there smiling. I began to wonder if the world had gone bonkers over night or if nerves from the ritual we were about to perform were getting to them. Idiots.

I was about to scream at Celestine when she placed Hermione's bleeding hand on Snape's chest. I would have screamed but the second Hermione touched him, he calmed. And instead of red eyes or obsidian, they glowed silver. I let him go and stood in front. Now I knew why everyone was staring at his chest.

He was covered in blood markings. He was covered, in a shield's promise.

"This is an ancient symbol for a shield. But I didn't think Hermione was supposed to have a shield till she turned sixteen."

"What? What are you all talking about? I have never seen these marks!"

"That is because they can only be seen when you are touched by the blood of the one your are supposed to protect. Severus, please listen."

He needed no more coaxing. But hardly anyone did after a vampire used compulsion.

"Salazar Slytherin had three daughters. Morganna, December, and Silvia Blair. Silvia Blair was born a hybrid. She was not bonded but she did have a shield from birth. He was chosen by her father who founded the tradition. But that was not the usual way it was done."

"How are shields usually chosen?"

"By zodiac. He is a Virgo she is a Virgo. Now where was I? Ah, yes. It is random when they meet but they meet when the hybrid has need of a shield."

"You say they meet when the hybrid has need of a shield. But why would Hermione need a shield so young?"

I was tired of Severus being so slow. But we were delving into very deep pureblood secrets that his parents wouldn't have told him or didn't know. So I taunted him with the knowledge.

"Severus, you surely must know the answer? Hermione is the only one of her kind. She was in danger the day she was born."

Celestine cleared her throat, but not in a rude way. It looked as if she were about to cry. "So as I was saying, being her shield, it is Snape's natural inclination to protect her. The fact that those marks have not disappeared and will not is proof that he is her shield. That is, if you need any further proof other than the fact that he tried to kill me. He has been marked so he will feel inclined to stay by her."

"I see. Well that seems to make sense. But Severus, the girl is mine."

"I don't feel anything like that towards her. The connection feels almost like a family connection would. I feel like I am bound to her by blood."

"You are. She's your second cousin twice removed or something like that."

"Just make sure that your feelings stay like that."

"Yes my lord."

Things were quiet for a moment before Severus spoke again. "Silvia Blair wouldn't happen to be related to the Blair witch would she?"

"No! The Blair Witch lies bout Silvia Blair and tries to make her an evil creature who kills and kidnaps children. Silvia Blair was a beautiful, intelligent, kind hearted, sweet woman. And she was loved by everyone."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"That's ok. You are uneducated in true pureblood history. A short coming of your parents I'm afraid. They never were the best."

"Too true."

I watched as sympathy shadowed her face but it was quickly replaced by a mask of stone. Now I could see where Hermione got her soft side from.

"Well than, Arthur shall explain the rest. I will take my leave for now, good day." And she walked out into the den of wolves. Leaving us behind. Good. This talk needed to be had man to man.

"There is a room below us that takes up the whole bottom floor. That floor is a ritual decompression chamber that was built long ago. It is tied to the six elements. We will invoke all of them once for you and once for Hermione. When the words are spoken, many must be there to witness it, which is why I made sure the deatheaters were here. We have chosen you for our daughter but now the fate's will make their decision and give us a sign that you are not bound or bound in one of the following ways: body mind soul spirit or eternal. Once the sign is given everyone will leave except Hermione, yourself, and Severus. The bonding is a very private intimate joining. The first joining is what will be taking place tonight. The joining of your minds. Severus is there so he can lend Hermione his physical strength because the bond is very taxing on women's mind. And the mind effects the body. More or less, if Severus is not there, that would also kill her."

"So do you have any rough estimation of what happens when everyone leaves?"

"You go inside each others minds to find each other's souls and consciousnesses. The last thing you find is the spirit. When you find all three they will blend into one another without provocation. Than, your minds will mate on a higher plane."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Adeline is reincarnated inside Hermione. Inside her mind she is about thirty as she is the reincarnation of your last former lover. Your minds will mate. But your bodies will have been left behind. There is really no way to explain it You have to experience it to know. The only other word that comes to mind besides the mating is the blending of the mind. That is the only other way I know how to describe it."

"And you know this how?"

"Personally."

"Than no matter how strange it sounds now, I will go through with it. If only for Hermione's sake."

"Than it is time to take our leave. The dungeons I spoke of are only twenty steps below us. Come."

And we were back amongst the wolves once again. The lights went out of their own provocation. Torches now lined the stone walls as we descended lower. And at the end of the last stair there was a dark wood cellar door.

As I walked in, I was struck by the age of this room. It was charged with raw elemental power of all kinds. And in the middle of the room was a circular round cement table.

Hermione was placed beside me and it felt just like it did when I had rocked her to sleep in the wicker chair. Everyone gathered in a circle as me and Hermione layed there on our sides, staring at the other. The last of the death eaters were in place and Hermione's father came to stand at our feet. And so it began.

"Sagal Infinitum Mixta Vinculum Forum. Veteres vocote. Praevenerunt. me nocte et nostra concito. Coimus colligere animae hominis et insontem protulit. Haec primus gradus in suis noram in itinere novus. Veteres in funde ivdiciis et illis et ostende tuos."

The hoods blended into black. Faces became nothing. Scufles of feet and shuffles of bodies were not heard. The people around me ceased to exist until it was just down to Hermione and her cinnamon eyes. But I saw something awaken t hat she had kept hidden and hidden well. She had hidden an adults intelligence. I couldn't imagine how it felt to be trapped in a two year olds body when you were closer to being thirty two.

Than all thoughts stopped and before this moment I had never been so in touch with my emotions. I needed to protect her. I needed her intelligence. I needed her to have freedom. I needed the very essence of her within my soul. I need her to be with me for eternity. But more than anything, I needed her to love me with all her heart.

"Wizard! Arise and speak your vows as you have been given permission to do so."

"Nunc aquam ambulant dilure omnia peccat a mea. Et descend it in terram qui sepeliant me partibus mortus. The Austrum cogitations meas frustra. The ignibus vacua cute meam. Posuit spiritum meum olii liberi. Et anima mea tenerite in aeterum. Now I walk the water to wash away all my sins. And I go down into the earth to bury those parts of me long deceased. The wind is to blow away my thoughts without meaning. The fire is to burn away my vacant skin. My spirit to set the other free. And my soul to be bound to thee for all eternity."

I was curious who was going to say Hermion's vows when I heard a strong clear voice like running water ring out through the hall and through my soul. I could feel the vibrations of power the way a loud noise or vibration reverberated your heart. So did her voice.

"Aeternitas sapienter dicere ego quatt vor mihi. Air aqua ignem terrae. Et spiritum utar te gratis. Et anima utar ligare me et te. For eternity I shall wisely call all four to me. Air water fire earth. And spirit I shall use to set you free. And soul I will use to bind you and me."

When I looked around I realized everyone was staring at the two year old in shock. I realized quickly that it wasn't really Hermione. It was…_Adeline_! So it wasn't a joke. He really meant what he said. Now I understood. There were no hidden meanings. The truth was hiding in plain sight.

I felt very lucky. When a person is reincarnated, very rarely is there only one soul. And yet in this body, was only Adeline's soul. Hermione was just a nickname.

_A rose which goes by any other name still smells as sweet, my dear. Now lay back down._

I did as she requested, squashing my pride. I heard an unearthly sound as my vision faded to black. Than blue green and orange followed by red purple and brown appeared behind my eyes. And I knew I was quickly losing control. I felt an agony worse than any curse placed upon the body or mark branded and seared upon the skin. The marrow of my bones was acid. The bone itself was fire. And they worked in tandem to destroy me as the meat, sinew, and tissue must have faded to ash alone.

The screeching continued till it became an unbearable level. Blood vessels shot behind my eyes and my back arched. My eardrums were about to burst with the screeching and that was when I realized, it was my own.

When I came to that revelation, the pain lessened. And than I heard the sound that made me want to do it all over again. I wanted to scream. I wanted that pain. I would eat it like candy cancer in my mouth if it would spare her this horrid agony. Because seeing her like this was worse than feeling it.

Her back arched and I knew she was fading fast. Her scream tore my heart wide open and left me bleeding on the floor. But I knew I had to be strong. I was about to lend her my strength when suddenly, she shot up and started screaming in another burst of strength. And I knew that was what Severus was for. I took her hand and held it in mine as I whispered comforting words through the bond that was being created.

It lasted only minutes per person and had I not been in such agony I would have realized that Snape was screaming like we were. For four long minutes.

Finally, we were bonded. Sweat colored my body crimson. I was bleeding from many places, I knew. But I was still checking over Hermione. I would not tend to myself until she was healed. And when I was finally sure she was ok, I laid back down, hoping the time for pain had passed.

I realized that something was missing. There was supposed to be one last thing that happened. But what?

I opened my eyes…and remembered.

I had been inside this mind many times before. I knew every rock. Every blade of grass. Every fierce and precise move of her blade as she swung in a high arc above her head. Her body and her blade had always worked in tandem. And now, they were perfect. I took up my place beside her as we started performing Kata's in this zen Buddhist garden. And when our arms crossed she gasped.

"Tom?"

"I'm here love."

"Oh, you look so handsome. It has been so long. I've missed you so much!"

"Handsome?"

"Look in the water Tom. The water shows you for who you truly are. You are no monster. You are my love and you always will be. No matter what you do."

I came to the realization that she was inside my mind. And I should have felt uneas, knowing the kind of horrors that crossed it daily. But I could feel nothing but peace from her. No fear. I was reminded of when we meditated together back in the garden.

"Will you come with me?"

"I cannot travel where you must go. But I can however, wait here for you to return. You always do."

"Than I shall be around shortly."

I walked through the only door left and was shattered and disgusted with what I saw. The pristine white door stood ajar and dark red. And when the door opened, I could see inside. Constantly, the scenary would switch.

It was daylight outside with the deepest green grass and rolling hills. The sunshine lit the room so white that it hurt my eyes. Ribbons of blood poured down the walls in a never ending torrent. And there Hermione lay in her pristine white bed. No, not Hermione. Adeline. Beaten, abused, tortured. Her pearly white dress stained with blood. And I knew who had done this. Albus Dumbledore.

Than the scenary switched again. It was nothing but pitch black outside with screaming faces in the windows. And Hermione laid there in black. Her skin matching her dress with splotches of purple and barely any unmarred skin to be seen. The pristine blood ribboned walls had turned to old cracked yellow off white tiles. And the room was streaking with ever flowing blood. On the walls, the floors, the sheets. Dripping from the ceiling onto her skin. And she watched me with bloodshot eyes.

I went into the bathroom and there she was. The four year old. Her eyes open and staring at something that I could not see. And leaning over the bathtub was a lump of flesh more or less. It was skinny and it sort of resembled a woman but it looked foggy. I couldn't be sure what it was. Blood was on every surface here. Dirt lined the cracks of the walls and littered the floor. I went to the shower and opened the door.

Blood.

A woman lay there, her body just a form. Dressed in a clothing sheet of plastic. It horribly reminded me of a bouquet of roses. But it was the sickest bouquet I had ever seen. I closed the door on the dead and sat by Adeline as the scenery changed yet again.

She was chained to the bed. In one hand, she held a sword, in the other, she held a teddy bear. The teddy bear was the only thing untouched and the sword was covered in blood.

"Let me take you away Adeline."

"How do I get out ? Why would I want to get out? This is all I've ever known. How do I come back?"

"Please just come with me. Be with me. I am Tom Riddle. I saved your life. I need you. I love you. Even in this nightmare you still bear my ring. Come to me. Unshackle those chains. Break free of Albus Dumbledore and he will never touch you again."

And she broke free. She came to me, staggering as she did so. And we walked down the pristine white hallway.

We walked back into the Zen garden and there she was, waiting for us. And another as well. Her adventuresome spirit. This was all sides of her. The good the bad the ugly. And now, I was going to make her one.

The scene before me blurred and I saw two figures walk towards me. Both versions of my younger self. And it was like blending as they walked straight though me. But they never left like they had before. I was almost whole.

I looked around me at the new mind. It was a beautiful place. A Zen garden on one side and a beach on the other. But what was more beautiful, was the woman standing in front of me. Adeline.

_I am not ready to leave your mind. But the bond is complete._

"We will meet again many times Hermione. THAT you don't have to fear."

_If you insist. I just don't want to go back into a two year olds body._

"I don't blame you."

_So which do you prefer, Tom or Voldemort?_

"You should know by now."

_Well, Voldemort, I want you to know that I love you. With or without the bond. That I have loved you. I do love you. And I will love you for the rest of time._

"I will never leave you. Ever."

Her lips brushed against mine and I looked into her eyes.

"Treasure that. It will be a long time before you feel my lips again."

She placed a butterfly kiss on my cheek and suddenly we were back. My eyes popped open immediately but hers stayed shut.

"Hermione?"

I watched as her cinnamon eyes were slowly revealed. Perfect.

"I must go now. Severus will take you back upstairs. I…I-I l-love you."

_I love you too. Goodbye. I can't wait to see you again. We won't meet again for a very long time._

"It's just a day love. You'll see. It won't be that long. Goodbye."

_Goodbye._ And he was gone.


	3. Prelude To Tradgedy

**A/N I would like to thank a band called Epica for that last chapter. It's a song called dance of fate. I kinda added a few sentences here or there but it was just so perfect to add in for Voldemort's bond vows. **

**Also, I would like to thank some of the writers on this fanfiction site for giving me this idea of the bonding ritual. The story about Hermione and Snape and Anam Cara originally was what made me think of this. So if you are reading this, you know who you are. I just wanted to give credit where credit was due. **

**By the way, I tried to respond to all of you. I hope I didn't miss anybody. If I did, I'm sorry. But thank you all for reviewing. Can you do it again? **

_**ABOUT CONFUSION:**_** I hope you are not too confused. It you are, just tell me what you are confused about and I will explain it all in my next authors note. **

**So, here is the new chapter and I hope you enjoy it as much as the last two. BTW, I borrowed a little bit from kill bill volume one. But I don't know if you will be able to tell. Lol. I'm gonna do something interesting and make this chapter from Hermione's point of view. Yes, Hermione and Adeline are the same person. Hermione is Adeline's nickname. **

_p.s. Still unbeta'd_

**Chapter Three: Prelude To Tragedy**

My vision blurred yet again and more droplets of wet landed on the tongues of the intertwined serpents permanently marked on my left arm. I knew Tom had a matching mark from the bond on his left arm. But Snape had the design of a shield. It looked like a bunch of little serpents imbedded into his left arm.

I can't really remember where I've been these last couple of hours but I know that Snape has been here with me while everyone else left. My parents left for work. The deatheaters left when their dark lord did. And I didn't even see a house elf in sight. But Snape? Snape stayed with me. So I actually got a chance to know him better.

I was suspicious at first of my new shield. And it was strange because he seemed just as suspicious of me as I was of him. Than he sat down on the couch, picked up a large book, and began to read. I read the title of the book that lay in his hands. "Moste Pontente Potions". I got up off the couch and walked over to him, sitting right beside him and reading at his pace, which surprisingly was very close to mine. He looked at me for a moment and than cuddled me close, trusting me just that little bit much more.

"Are you trying to read?"

"No. Not trying. I _can_ read."

He was shocked silent yet again. His eyes were cautious when he spoke next.

"And you can speak as well?"

"Yes. I spoke during the ritual."

"Who are you?"

I sighed. This might take some explaining. "How old do you think I am?"

"Two."

"Wrong."

"What?"

"Wrong."

"How can I be wrong?"

"Because I am thirty two."

"What?"

I sighed. This was going little if nowhere. I decided to try another tactic. "Do you remember Tom Riddle?"

"Of course. Most of his older followers now, remembers him than."

"And do you remember Adeline?"

"Who doesn't? She was a beautiful Slytherin. Confident, royal, loving, cruel, strong, courageous, loyal, and very, very powerful. She was a true friend to the end."

I smiled at him. He really was a nice man underneath the glare of his eyes and the scowl of his lips. "Well, I'm Adeline."

He was shocked to silence. But only for a moment. Than he started his cross examination of me and scrutinized me relentlessly. "But how did this happen?"

"Before the bonding ritual was performed, I could not touch this intelligence. When Tom set my spirit free, it again came within my grasp and control. Because before, only my personality could shine through. Now, I can let all of me shine through."

"And so you have the intellect of a thirty year old trapped in a two year old body."

"Yes. But, I can actually work this to my advantage. It will give me time to learn more things that I never took the time to learn in my past life. Like piano."

"So that's why you were always staring at Slytherin's black grand piano." We laughed. "So, you have no second soul?"

"No. I am Adeline. No one else resides within me. Hermione was just what my parents named me."

"That is rare, no to have two souls when someone is reincarnated. Do you have any idea why?"

"Yes. It was because of the way I died. Someone made sure that I didn't have a second soul."

That gave him pause and he looked at me for a long moment. "It is a mystery how you died. No one could figure it out and we realized very quickly that it had been covered up. But even to this day, it remains a mystery."

"It was covered up. I know who killed me the first time. Do you remember the bonding ritual when Voldemort was in my mind?"

I saw him flinch at the name and remembered my mate's cruel antics. I had forgotten he was feared. "Yes. All to clearly unfortunately."

"And I would presume you speak of the unfortunates of yourself for the horrific images you had to endure inside the state that was my mind?"

"Yes." He shivered delicately.

"But you know my mind. Even in my past life, you looked into my mind many times. I trusted you. You were my closest adviser and friend. And not because of the dark lord."

"I always wondered about that."

"Well, wonder no longer. I like you for you. Not because of your position or who you are affiliated with."

"Than Adeline, if I may say so, you haven't changed a bit."

I laughed. "Well, you haven't changed much at all. How suprising." I smiled sarcastically.

He allowed himself to ponder it with a humorous look in his eyes. "Perhaps."

"But like I spoke before, you have been in my mind. And you know that my mind wasn't like that before. Such cruel imagery didn't exist. Only in the lock box of the inner recesses of my mind did it exist. That is the imagery of when my father killed my mother and sisters in my past life. But I locked it away, never to be seen again. And when I can bear to do so, I will burn the memory. But to burn it, I must find it. And in finding it, I would have to look at it. And I'm just not ready to see that again."

"Than why was your soul trapped in that?"

"Dumbledore pulled that memory out of my mind and created it. Than he placed me inside it and I couldn't get free. I got used to the imagery but it was no less terrifying."

"So you said you had no second soul because of the way you died. How did you die? And how were you reincarnated?"

"Me and Tom had just performed the second part of the bonding ritual. You only need to perform it once and it will last for every lifetime. But we do it every lifetime. It's like getting married again. It's a renewal of the vows. I've always enjoyed it personally. But another thing is that if the ritual is completed it will keep reincarnating you both until you can die together. Once you die together you stop being reincarnated. So, we had just performed the second half, the Nexus Infinitum. Dumbledore had heard rumors that I was Tom's love. And he came after me with a fury hidden behind madness in those twinkling eyes. He didn't kill me quickly. But he did kill me brutally. And it lasted for hours. By the time Tom got there, I was mostly dead. There was nothing he could do. He held me in his arms as I died. _That_, is why Voldemort hates Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore killed _you?_ A mere child?"

"Yes."

"But you were only in fifth year! You weren't even an adult yet! Plus, you had had no dueling classes so you couldn't have fought him for that reason. Other than, of course, the fact that he is one of the most powerful wizards alive."

"I know. I also know that you almost betrayed us. I hope this gives you a better outlook on why we are all fighting."

"_So Dumbledore really _is_ mad."_

"You have no idea."

And after that little chat, we spoke of happier things. Me going to Hogwarts, what house I'd probably be in, what friends I'd make while there. All in all, I was excited about going to Hogwarts. I wanted to learn. To go to potions class. To prove myself anywhere and everywhere. I wanted it all.

The only thing I didn't want was Albus Dumbledore. I couldn't imagine a worse headmaster. He had killed me just because I loved Tom. I didn't even do anything. And he had gone and killed me like that just because of who I was affiliated with. He started his own war.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Will you answer it?"

"Um...maybe. It depends upon the question."

"Where is Voldemort tonight? As his bondmate and his future wife-"

"-you have a right to know?" He smirked.

"Yes. My thought exactly."

"Well, it's true that you do. But you may not like what you hear."

"I'm listening."

"He is going out to kill somebody who would otherwise destroy him."

"Oh good. Who is it?"

"A boy named Harry Potter."

"A boy?"

"Yes a baby. Your age. There was a prophecy made that this boy would come to kill him. It is Halloween and almost midnight. It is almost time for him to strike."

"Show me the prophecy."

"What?"

"From within your mind. Show me the prophecy."

"Yes my queen."

I was paused in my tracks. I didn't enter his mind. Queen?

"People are going to treat me like a queen?"

"Of course. You are the dark lord's. And when you come of age you will not only be his wife but a part of his soul. Even _I_ can understand that."

"It's not that. I can understand that. It's just that I don't want to be more than everyone."

"That's the same way it was in your past life too. But you accepted the title and you made the best queen in the world."

I sighed, feeling weary. "I guess I'd better see that prophecy now."

He placed his hand on my cheek and brought my face up to look at his. "If it makes you feel any better, I will no longer call you queen. And now, it is time for the prophecy."

"No. Right now it is time for supper. Come along."

I hadn't even heard my mother come in.

Snape carried me to the dinner table and I sat in my highchair. It may have looked normal but for me it felt degrading.

Dinner was over by seven. And by than, I had forgotten about the prophecy. Tomorrow, Tom would be here to take me on vacation. And he would spend all day with me. Plus, I would get to see what he did on a day to day basis. My dad thought it was a good idea. He said it was getting me used to the environment. I knew that was the last thing my mother wanted. Little did they know, I had been through worse horrors.

I got up and sat on Snape's lap as I played the individual notes on the piano. This was something I had always wanted to learn in my past life. And Snape was almost as great a teacher as Voldemort. Almost. But Voldemort added something that Snape didn't. What it was, I didn't know.

After playing the piano, it was time for bed. But Tom wasn't here to cuddle me. As Snape tucked me in and was about to tell me a bedtime story, I asked him "Why isn't Tom here?"

Snape was quiet for a long moment. "Let me show you the prophecy first."

"And no interruptions this time?"

He laughed. "No interruptions."

He opened his mind to me and I looked inside. I quickly found the memory.

I saw through Snape's eyes as he walked smoothly, gracefully, up the stairs to retrieve the job that Voldemort requested he acquire. I was surprised by how quickly the memory got to the point. But than again, most of Snape's life got to the point. He was sneaky but the way he lived was straight forward for the most part. He walked towards the door when he started hearing weird voices. But as he was hearing nothing but mumbles, I was hearing the whole thing. He didn't have vamprice hearing. I did.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches...born as the seventh month dies...and the dark lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the dark lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

Snape didn't hear the whole prophecy. All he heard was _"Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

He was found by Tom the innkeeper and was kicked out of the pub. Severus than ran back to Voldemort to tell him what he had heard. I ended the memory there.

"_What does it mean?"_

"I don't know."

"_It must mean something. Everything has a meaning."_

"Hermione, it's just a prophecy. The dark lord will fulfill it tonight."

I was quiet for a long moment, stumped. Than, I looked at Snape. I stopped muttering to myself. "You didn't hear the whole prophecy."

"What?"

"You only caught the last part." I repeated for him what I'd heard.

"That makes some sense. But not a lot."

I kept thinking over the words. Whoever it is will have a power that the dark lord doesn't. That much is obvious. July is the seventh month. Dying would represent the end. So whoever it is was born at the end of July. The dark lord is going to do something to give the person this power. And "neither can live while the other survives" obviously point to war. It means they will pit themselves against each other. But Voldemort has the backing of his deatheaters. I hardly doubt this boy will be alone. Who is Harry Potter?"

"Son of James Potter and Lily Evans Potter.

"And who are they?"

"Members of the...order of the phoenix. Oh Merlin."

"So, Voldemort is going to kill Harry. What if something goes wrong? What if he missed or something? Wouldn't that mark Harry as his equal and give him a shot? But what power would he give Harry? And sometime in the future we are going to war with the Order of the Phoenix. Severus, I know Voldemort won't make it out alive. You know just as well as I do that I have premonitions. I had a bad feeling Severus. You must plant your feet firmly. I give you permission to betray the dark lord. Do what you must to save your life. I am to young and not powerful enough to break you out of Azkaban. And soon, I may not be able to. I'm going to lose something very important to me soon."

"How are you figuring this out!"

"Do you so easily forget that I am psychic?"

"This is bad."

"Just play it cool. How late is it? Can we stop him?"

"No. He's already there. It's too late. But I can save Nagini."

"Than go. And quickly!"

Snape left my side and went to go and do what he had to. I tried to settle in to sleep. And when I did, I was pulled into my lovers mind. But he had a one track mind and he couldn't feel me. He was about to complete a goal that would ruin the rest of his and my life.

I rolled my eyes at his antics as he tried to scare a child. I slowly talked him against killing the poor thing. He needed to save his power for when he would really need it. Because I knew.

"_Lily, take Harry and Run!"_

"So pitiful." He didn't even have to cast the spell. He just thought of the man dropping dead and automatically, his wand cast Avada Kedvra. He went upstairs and I was surprised by how quickly all this was happening.

I saw him trying to get what I believed to be Lily to move. But she wouldn't. So he killed her as well. Than, at last, he came to Harry Potter. And I finally knew what a real two year old was supposed to look like. I looked nothing like this.

I watched on and as he said the words one last time. But something happened than that I did not intend. The curse backfired. I would have screamed but Voldemort didn't die. Oh he was in pain that would rival our bonding for sure, but he wasn't dead. So what had happened?

I pulled out of his mind and wrote everything in my journal. I wrote about the bonding. I wrote about the powers and connection that me and Voldemort shared. I wrote about all that had happened in the last fourty eight hours. And I wrote my own personal biography. I was thinking so fast that I literally had to use a quick notes quill. And by the time I was done, my mind was aching. But I had a written account of the very things I needed to know. I also needed to know where Dumbledore got all his power and what the source of it was.

The last thing I wrote was: _How did Voldemort survive?_

I knew there was something key to that. And I had the feeling that I wouldn't get the answer for a very long time. But I also had the feeling that when the time came I would figure it out. I pointed my finger at the diary and whispered "Impervious."

I placed wards all around it. Almost every type of ward you could think of it had. Even my own and Tom's that we both had created. Some wards were placed thrice on the diary to make it extra strong. Some were barely there at all. It had the utmost protection and I could only hope that protection would last because it was all I could give it at this moment. I stuffed it in the air grate and was about to get back into bed when I heard a crash at the front door.

I met my mother on the stairs who picked me up and ran at top vamprice speed for the roof. She hid me under the bed and told me not to make a sound. She hoped that since the spot was so obvious, no one would see me or think to look for me there. I hoped she was right.

I listened closely and I could hear the sounds of a struggle downstairs. Than finally, the struggle stopped. And I heard a body drop dead to the ground. But it wasn't several. It was one. Only one. And I knew my father was dead. Because I suddenly heard many footsteps on the staircase.

Voldemort may have been a half ghost half human but he was still with me. Right beside me. Cuddling me. Whispering comforting thoughts in my mind. I suddenly knew why I wouldn't see him for a long time. I was about to have my memory wiped. Again.

Mother stood and turned off the lights by hand. Than she stood in the center of the room, waiting. And I watched my mother with baited breath. What would she do?

The door was blasted open and the first person in was blasted back. She moved in high arcs, twists, spins turns, and she moved with deadly speed. She had taken out ten attackers at once. And than, suddenly, she was pinned to the bed how it happened, I didn't know. But she was pinned to the bed and I could hear voices above me.

"Stake her quickly! She's putting up a fight and she's too powerful. We can't hold her for long. I peeked from the bed, trying to get a better angle. I took a mirror and angled it to his face. I couldn't see him.

But what I could see was that he was wearing a long black cloak. But his beard was silver. And long. It was tucked into his belt. And I saw him pop a lemon drop into his mouth as he cheerily replied. "Kill her."

And I heard a gasp and than nothing at all. Mom? I looked up and the bed was filling with red. That was the scene in my mind. Red. I shivered and tried not to cry. She was dead.

"Let's go. I can't stand to be here and see this. We've done our job. Let's go."

"Good idea."

"Wait. What was that? I heard something move."

"Moody, your paranoid."

"There's someone under the bed."

Voldemort whispered that he loved me and disappeared. I laid under the bed alone, waiting to meet my fate. But I really didn't want to die again. It was not only getting annoying but the periods between me coming back were longer. Someone softly grabbed me around the middle and patted me on the back. I saw my mother on the bed, dying slowly with tears coming out of her eyes.

"We could take her away from here. We don't have to kill her .She is, after all, just a baby."

I watched as the man in the black cloak was quiet. "You are sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! She is just a child!"

"Of course she is. Of course she is. And I know just where to take her. To the Grangers. They are undercover aurors who will know exactly what to do. And they are the top aurors of this century. Just follow me."

And I looked at my mother who made the rest of the crowd stop. And in a strangled voice she looked at me lovingly. "Hermione, daughter, I love you."

And I watched as the light left her eyes. That was the day the light left mine. I didn't have to wait for Voldemort. I was now the dark queen. And so, to forget all this, I did the only thing I could do. I placed it in my mind's lockbox. I felt a burn on the inside of my thigh as I magically inscribed it. Hopefully, that would give me a clue. And as I looked in the mirror, I said goodbye one last time. Hoping that the day would come again when I would say hello.

**A/N I hope the last chapter wasn't too confusing for you. If you ask me what you were confused about, I will answer you as I am trying my best to reply to each and every one of you who reviews. This chapter was a bit harder for me to write because I had terrible writers block. But, now I've posted it and it's up. And I will give you a hint to the next chapter. "It's time to stop looking into the past." Don't you just love teasers? Please Review.**


	4. Hermione Granger and the Lockbox

**A/N Ok. This is totally unrelated to the story but it is lightning and thundering and raining outside right now and we are under a tornado warning. It's so awesome! Ok, so I hope you liked chapter three. Here is chapter four. Read and Review.**

**Chapter Four: "Hermione Granger", Adeline Valentine, and the Lockbox**

As a child, I wasn't very close to my..._"parents", _even when I was young. Maybe all adopted kids just hate their parents. I don't know. Some say hating your family is unnatural. Is it really? No one knew why I hated my family. Maybe if they knew it would be a different story.

I hated Mr. and Mrs. Granger because they helped my parents' killer ruin my life. I was brought to the Granger's door step by my killer as just a two year old and it had been downhill from there since than.

The Grangers were cruel to me, and they lied to me, saying that I really was their child. It was funny because a little potion I concocted in second year, which was a hundred percent accurate, told me that I wasn't their child at all. It was the kind of potion that tested DNA strands in the hair. So I threw in my hair and than some of my "mom's" and "dad's" hair. Turns out, they are both liars.

But a deeper part of me knew I didn't belong to them anyway because as a child, I knew that I couldn't be related to them. I just couldn't be. I didn't look anything like either one of them. I also didn't look anything like the rest of their family.

I always had the feeling that I didn't belong. And they most certainly made me feel like that. They were cold, aloof, unnecessarily cruel, and I disliked them from a young age. At first it was just a cool discontentment but over the years it has grown into a boiling hatred.

But it is thanks to this killer and the Grangers that I am still alive. Revenge has given me something to live for. And it all started with a party and a letter.

Before I found out I was a witch, I was treated like a simple muggle. My parents were both heads of big companies and ever since their companies had joined, they had a party once a month on a Thursday.

I remember the first party of theirs I ever went to. I'd been so young, only eleven. And yet, there I had stood in a group of upper class CEO office employees talking about the latest trends in the stock market.

No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't talk about any of the things that I wanted to talk about, like my new bike. One of the reasons was because there were no kids here. This was an adult party and there were no kids allowed. That's why most parents didn't take their children with them.

But despite that, once a month, on a Thursday, my mother would dress me up, do my make up, braid my hair, and put me in the car. And on our way to the party, we wouldn't speak to each other, a testament to our close "relationship". But at least the silence was comfortable.

Once at the office, we would meet with my dad who would guide us all into a tall very fancy looking building. And each month I would either be with my mom listening to the women around me talk about office gossip and fashion or I would be with my father, listening and joining in about conversation's on the stock market. And I would not only join in, I would state my opinions. And my father always sided with me. That way, when people took my advice, he would get the credit.

I now recognize the real reason I was dragged to these parties was because my "parents" wanted to get credit for my thinking. Oh, they would say I was smart when other people said it. And I knew they also wanted to show me off. But it wasn't lovable. It was despicable. And I felt like a trophy they had won.

I didn't truly know why they did it for a long time and the first time they had done it, I thought it was a compliment. To take me somewhere and brag about how smart I was. But I began realizing that _after_ the party, they wouldn't congratulate me. They wouldn't say anything at all. To them, I was just a brain. And I was just a trophy to be polished, shined, and put back on the shelf.

That fateful Thursday night was no different. Except...it was.

Because at that party was when my letter for Hogwarts had arrived. My father, who had gone into his office only moments before, came out holding a letter. Upon seeing me he seized me and took me home. Like the good little trophy wife, my mother followed. But unlike usual, I rode in the car with my father. And instead of things being quiet, things were tense.

At home, they had told me that I was a witch and that I would be sent to a school called Hogwarts to learn witchcraft and wizardry. I asked them about my mark, to which they refused to answer. I asked them about wizarding beliefs in reincarnation, which they also refused answer.

Eventually, they got so uncomfortable with my questions that they took me to a bookstore and bought me every single thing they could on wizardry that way, as my father put it, they would get me to "shut up".

The only question they ever answered was when I asked them how they knew about the wizarding world.

"That's because me and your mother are a witch and wizard. We are the top aurors in the ministry of magick and our job is to make sure you grow up safe and sound without the use of any forbidden magick."

"But forbidden magick is bad isn't it? Why would I want to use it?"

He smirked but he didn't answer that either.

After that conversation, I read up on the ministry of magic. After that, I read up on everything else magickal. I wanted to prove that I was worth something and that I was magical enough to attend this wonderful school called Hogwarts. I was only interrupted in my reading for the times I had to attend those useless parties, which I was quickly beginning to grow tired of.

By the time I was ready to board the Hogwarts express at the station of King's Cross, I had already read through all the books all the way up to third year. And I had read all the books for the extra classes. I felt thankful that I remembered everything I read.

I boarded the train ride alone, my parents too busy working to take me. But even if they had tried, I would have made an excuse to go alone. I didn't want them to take me anywhere. And whereas most kids would be hurt, I was grateful. I was also grateful for what I could steal out of their wallets. a

The train ride was nice. I had sat with the Slytherins Draco Malfoy, Blaize Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson. We didn't really talk at all. In fact, we barely even asked each other's names. But we recognized each other in the line to go into the great lake by saying "Weren't you that person I sat by on the train?"

We crossed over the great lake by boats and the boy named Blaize let me borrow his coat to shield me from the cold wet. I was grateful.

We walked in, pale, cold, wet, and shivering. I began to wonder what idiot thought of this way of traveling. I swore I would hang him by his ears.

After we went through the entrance to Hogwarts, we stood there shivering waiting to eat. But the eating would come after the sorting, unfortunately.

I remember the sorting, as it is one of my favorite memories. I was taken into a dining hall called "The Great Hall" where people ate their meals in Hogwarts. I barely looked around at all. I knew what I would find.

An enchanted ceiling, four tables for four houses, a long table for the staff, and the bored faces of what was probably over a thousand students waiting to eat. There was one thing, though, that caught my attention.

It was an old hat that sat on a wooden stool and it was not what I had been expecting. I had never seen this in the pictures. Nor had I found out anything about this from what I'd read.

An old strict looking woman in a green robe with a black witches hat explained that the sorting would begin. She unrolled a long sheet of parchment and began to call out a name. For the first person, I paid attention. She was sorted and I saw that all you had to do was put a hat on your head and it would call out what house you were supposed to go into.

I barely paid attention to the sorting after that. And I didn't give the witch a single thought other than the fact to recognize that she was Minerva McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher.

For a long time, I zoned out, coming to life only when I heard names like Draco Malfoy, Blaize Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson. But other than those, the list of name became a drone. At least until the spectacle happened.

Now, the spectacle wasn't really a big thing in and of itself. But what it would come to mean later on would mean a lot. And I didn't forget to write it down in my diary.

"Adeline Valentine."

Things were quiet for a moment and I was hit with the biggest headache I had ever had all in the space of a moment because a couple of seconds later it disappeared. I had the strangest feeling all of a sudden that this woman was talking to me. But that was not my name. So why would she say that?

"It seems I have misread the name. Hermione Granger."

I knew she hadn't misread the name. I knew that she was either lying or seeing things. An insane transfiguration teacher, heh, I thought that was supposed to be reserved for the DADA position.

On my way up to the stool, I looked at the parchment of names. I looked all around for an Adeline Valentine on the paper on my way up to the stool, but it did nothing to help me. There was no name like that. Finally, I caught my name. And it did the strangest thing. One moment I was seeing Hermione Granger and than the next...

The next moment, right where my name had been, was a name called Adeline Valentine. This was the second time it happened...and it was also the first time I got a migraine in the center of my forehead.

I sat up on the stool and an old hat was placed on my head. I had an errant thought about getting head lice. But I knew I wouldn't get it thanks to a certain charm. So I wasn't worried. That was when I heard a chuckle inside my head.

_Well Adeline, I never thought I would be seeing you again much less this young. But, stranger things have been known to happen. You are just like you were fifty years ago. Still worrying about your hair. And yet...you are not that shallow. You know that I have been charmed so no one will get head lice. You not only have the knowledge though. You know the spell and how to cast it without being taught._

_But I am not questioning your ability with spells. I am questioning the house in which to put you. You are different than you were the last time I was placed upon your head. Let's see...your a fighter! That's new. And it points to a level of bravery that you didn't have before. But it's belied by a sense of calmness and you seem to be very removed. I would place you in Gryffindor but there would be too many hurt feelings. And I don't think they would appreciate your sneakiness. So Gryffindor is out._

_Let's see...what else. You are helpful and loyal but you would have too many Hufflepuffs on the run with your sly and subtle deviant ways. But we both knew that you would not be suited for Hufflepuff._

_Now here is the real mystery. Ravenclaw or Slytherin? You have all the traits necessary for both houses. In the end, it is up to you. Ravenclaw will showcase your talent for intelligence but Slytherin will not only showcase your talent for intelligence, it will lead you on a path way to life that you would have to overlook having been in Ravenclaw. The choice is yours and yours alone. _

_**Well, not all paths in life are good ones. **_

_Well spoken._

_**But than again, if this path in Slytherin keeps me busy throughout the rest of my life, than it would really be helping me achieve my goals. Besides, I would never be bored as I would in Ravenclaw. I think we both know which house I would**_**like**_**to go in. But in the end, you must speak it aloud. Not I. For I am evenly torn.**_

_Well than, since you are so evenly divided I will choose for you. With your talents and traits I would have to say that_ "It better be, SLYTHERIN!"

I walked off the stage, floating on air towards the aristocratic and prestigious Slytherin table. They seemed to welcome me with open arms. Especially a colored boy sitting right next to a pale rich snobbish handsome blond. I looked around me at the silver and green. It was such a beautiful combination.

"I rather like our table myself. The colors do seem to fit well together." He stuck out a hand with an upturned nose and I wasn't sure whether to shake his hand or to laugh. I chose the first. And my decision affected the rest of my life.

"Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy."

I shook his hand politely. "Hermione Granger."

The deep voice of the dark skinned beautiful boy rang out next to Draco. "I'm Blaize Zabini. And you are not Hermione Granger."

"Oh? And pray tell...Blaize Zabini was it? Yes, pray tell Blaize Zabini, what makes you think that I am not who I say I am? Are you implying that I am a liar?"

He smiled warmly into my cold eyes. "Not at all. What I am in fact implying is that you don't know your own lineage."

"And you speak as though you do. How would you know anything about my lineage?"

"Because, my parents knew your mom and dad. And you look exactly like the Valentine's. Besides, didn't you know that you are my cousin?"

"I'm your cousin?"

"Yes. I knew you when you were a baby. I only saw you a couple of times but I always had your picture. And you always had mine." He held up a moving photo. "Look familiar?"

"Yes. It does." I looked closer and sure enough it rang a bell. "Fire?"

"I can't believe you remember my old nickname."

I had a slight headache but I ignored it. "Well, strong memories are hard to keep locked up. So, do I really look like the Valentine's daughter?"

"Yes."

It felt right but I wouldn't believe him until he had certifiable evidence. I could feel my blood boiling in my veins. I knew that somehow, someway, I had been lied to. My eyes narrowed down to slits not out of anger at him, but anger at the Grangers for lying.

"Prove it."

"Fine. Will a picture of your pure blood parents do?"

He held up a picture and I was shocked to the core. I had seen my baby pictures before and there was no doubting that was me as a toddler being held by my handsome smiling dad and my real...mom.

I took the picture from Blaize and a scene felt almost like it was escaping me. It felt like a long buried memory that was fighting for freedom as it came to the forefront of my mind.

_A man in a black cloak with a long silver beard smiles. "Kill her."_

_The sound of an acid stake making contact with skin assaults my innocent ears. _

_Crimson pours across the underside of the bed where I lay._

_Droplets of red land on my nose and all I can think is "Momma". _

_And finally, I'm pulled out by rough arms that do not know how to handle a child. _

_And there she lays at the end of her life...my mother._

_Her viper like tendrils of ink black hair splayed across the bed almost reminiscent of the blood pouring from her body in waves._

_But despite the fact that she was dying, she smiles at me and tears fall from my eyes. It is the last time I will ever see her I know._

"_Hermione, daughter, I love you."_

_And she dies. And I'm carried away by her killers._ I was kidnapped.

Tears softly leaked from my eyes as I looked deeply into Blaize's soft dark brown ones. "Thank you."

"You remember her?"

"I'm starting to. I was there when she died. I saw her staked in the mirror I was using to see who her killer was."

I felt three different hands touch mine. One was Blaize, who was rubbing my hand with this thumb, trying to comfort me. The other was Draco, who was looking at me with empathetic eyes. The other one, I would later learn, was Pansy Parkinson. Who would turn out to be my number one best friend. And together, we made the Slithering Serpent. Or at least, that was what everybody called us.

That same year, I secretly made friends with a boy who knew exactly how I felt. Secretly, because he was a Gryffindor. He had green eyes, messy black hair, and a lightning bolt shaped scar on his head. But I was not friends with him because he was rich or famous. His blood status was way below mine but that didn't stop me from befriending him.

I was friends with him for a different reason. Our relationship was built on pain, something I should have realized would only end up in the same thing. Pain. This boy knew exactly what it was like to be unloved. This boy knew exactly what it was like to lose both parents to a killer. This boy knew what it was like to be used and abused. This boy's name, was Harry Potter. And all throughout first year, we secretly met to talk.

But first year at Hogwarts was much more entertaining than secret meetings. First year at Hogwarts was just as interesting as the rest would turn out to be. A troll got into the girls bathroom, which I saved Harry from. And than I escaped before anyone could see me. I let Harry take the credit and I honestly didn't mind.

And at the end of first year, a man named Voldemort tried to capture a stone that would give him immortality. Harry said that was a bad thing but I appreciated Voldemort's ambitiousness. And he obviously was very sneaky if he could get into Hogwarts right under that old crackpot fools nose. So he was sneaky _and_ intelligent too. That would have taken a lot of planning. I found that to be very interesting.

I wanted to know a little bit more about Voldemort so I asked Harry if he could remember real hard about the fight that had taken place deep underneath the castle. I wanted to know everything about the fight. And the memory was pulled up right before my eyes. And to this day, I can still remember what he had told Harry.

"_She will betray you Harry Potter. Playing with venomous serpent's without getting bit will only last so long. I wish you luck. For even I will not be able to stop the wrath that comes."_

I stored that away for future speculation, writing it down in a diary. I also found a secret room towards the end of the year that would spare me having to live with the annoying perky peppies up above. In this secret room, I could read to my hearts content. And on the bed were two names inscribed inside a heart. Adeline & Tom.

Second year was just as interesting as the first. A man named Tom Riddle got into Hogwarts possessing students using a diary. And he was going on a random killing spree using the Basilisk. Which, Harry ended up killing. But I was the one who figured out it was a Basilisk. Unfortunately, I was petrified. But, I promised myself to make up for lost time.

Third year, I was starting to get tired of helping Potter. But none the less, I helped Harry save his precious godfather and a hyppogriff named Buckbeak. It only served to remind me of what an idiot Malfoy was when he had broken his arm. Stupid blond twit.

Fourth year was exciting. I went to the Famous Wizarding Quidditch World Cup. The game itself was boring. But what happened after the game was fun. Lucius got a couple of his friends together for some muggle torture in the name of the dark lord.

I think they did it because they thought the dark lord was going to come back. Lucius kept saying that his dark mark was getting stronger. I thought maybe it was related to mine but I decided not. My mark was always strong.

Me and Draco waited in the forest and I had to admit it was rather exciting to watch. But I didn't really want to be a part of it. Apparently, neither did Draco. But he was fascinated and watching as well.

That same year, a deatheater impersonating Mad Eye Moody entered Harry's name in a drawing for the triwizard tournament. Of course, he made sure Harry won. And Harry met the man face to face that I was dying to meet. Voldemort.

A couple of hours after Harry returned, I examined the cup and ran some diagnostics on it. Than I placed the charm on a spare necklace I had and it delivered me straight to where Harry went. I saw a disgusting rat-man cleaning up the mess. Yes. He was a deatheater. I could see his mark.

I leaned against a tombstone and twirled my wand between my fingers. This wizard was weak and easily intimidated. "Excuse me. I am looking for Lord Voldemort. Have you seen him?"

His small beady eyes looked at mine and his facial feature quickly changed from dangerous to terrified. "Y-y-yes mistress." He gave a low bow. "I seen him return. I helped him. But I don't knows where's he's gone. If I did I would tell you my queen."

Queen?

"I see. Well than, give him a message for me. Tell him that Adeline Valentine is back." I formed a long intricate black and silver rose with the wave of my hand and entwined around the rose was a live baby viper. I put the rose in a glass case while crooning Parseltongue to the young snake. And as soon as the glass case shut, the snake froze.

"This tiny serpent will unfreeze when me and Voldemort are together again. Give this to him. Now. Oh and by the way, since I can't have Voldemort killing my messenger," I waved my wand and performed a wordless evanesco "I thought I would clean up the grounds myself. Really, it is so much easier to do it with magic. Are you a wizard or a muggle? Now go!"

Man, this queen stuff _was _fun. No wonder Voldemort liked being dark lord. I could get used to this. But on a more serious note, what did rat-man mean by queen?

I watched him disappear, frightened of me obviously. And I decided that this whole queen thing was certainly worth looking into. When I returned to Hogwarts and walked through the den of Snakes, I saw that the whole of Slytherin was in full party mode, celebrating the dark lord's return as I found out.

But I didn't really understand what the big deal was about the dark lord and all that. I would have to find out about that. I walked through the party goers, a notice me not charm making me all but invisible. It was so easy to slip inside this little home unnoticed. I went back to my secret room.

When I got inside, I once again wrote what I had found out in my diary and notes on what I had to find out. But something else caught my attention. It was the heart bearing the Adeline and Tom inscriptions. And I realized that it was hand carved by both of us. Me and Tom. Because that was my handwriting! I took a picture of it with my wand and transferred it to my diary.

I was excited. For I had just figured out the first piece of the puzzle.

I was a reincarnation. That would explain why I looked and acted exactly like Adeline, according to Lucius and others who knew her. That would also have to mean that I was a pureblood. And since I was sure that I was a reincarnation, that further prove Blaize's statement from first year. I also looked up who Adeline Valentine belonged to and yep. There is was in the family tree.

So, I was Adeline. A descendent of some of the greatest witches and wizards of all time. I was powerful, a witch, a vampire, I could talk to snakes, and my lover was Tom Riddle.

I could easily accept that I was no Hermione. I was Adeline. There was no other soul inside of me but hers…mine.

And this mysterious love that I felt for the dark lord, this also came from me. A me in the past. That would explain the queen thing since he was a lord. But there were still pieces of the puzzle missing. Like who exactly killed my parents. So before I could find out more about myself and the man who killed my parents, I found out more about Voldemort.

In finagling details out of my fellow Slytherins around the fire, I found that Voldemort had killed Harry Potter or tried to but Harry defeated him. Harry was the reason my lover was more or less dead. Or used to be dead.

At that point, I cut myself off from Harry Potter. And in the summer of my fourth year, I was getting nowhere to finding out what I needed to know. But I quickly put two and two together. If I wanted to find out more, I needed to go to the place where I was born.

So, I tricked my "parents" into thinking that I was with Blaize. Than I told Blaize where I was really going to be and he said he would cover for me. I told him I would visit him when I was through to make the lie look more believable.

Before the summer arrived, I had gotten a room in the last place anyone would think to look. Hogsmead.

I had decided on Hogsmead because it was crowded over the summer and it would be the perfect place to book a room. I was thankful I had booked a room several months in advance. And the room I booked was a fancy comfortable one at the three broomsticks.

Blaize complained that it was crowded and he was worried I would get caught. But I knew he was wrong. Large crowds were just fine with me. A crowded place was the perfect place to hide. A person could so easily lose themselves within a sea of faces. And mine wasn't that recognizable with a couple of heavy charms.

One night, in the middle of the summer, I left my room and did a little bit of self discovery. I knew that most things I had been told by my auror parents were untrue. So I had to find things out on my own. Starting with my two "birthmarks". One, I had never told anyone about. It was a simple word that said lockbox on my inner thigh. But what could that mean?

_Lockboxes are used for two things. One, to store something private and keep it safe. But two, they were also used for belongings you'd want to lock up. What would I want to lock up?_

The question was a repeat in my mind. I was curious because I didn't own anything illegal…yet. And I didn't have anything that I would want to keep safe from anyone else except my…_memories!_ That was the key! They key was my memories!

I would want those locked up because one had already escaped and it was too painful for me to deal with! Yes, that was the answer. The lockbox was not a physical one. It was in my mind.

So if it was memories that I was trying to lock up, all I had to do was self legilimens my mind. I walked into the house, sat down on a couch, pointed my wand at myself and muttered "Legilimens!"

And suddenly, I was inside my own mind. A zen garden, just like I'd always imagined it. So peaceful. But when I looked behind me there was a beach. I was not aware that my mind was connected because that was what this had to be. My mind must be connected to anothers. But who's? I would have to remember to write that down in my diary.

I looked around for a lockbox in my mind but I knew that it wouldn't be that easy. I walked past the zen garden and stopped before the door where my nightmares were kept. The nightmares of past and present. I sucked up my courage and stepped inside. Immediately, I started looking around on the floor and I found it. A trap door. I opened it up and was flooded with memories. And within these memories I found the answers to most of my questions.

When I came to I realized that the mark on my thigh had disappeared. And I now had all my answers. My mind was shared with Voldemort's. And me and Voldemort were bonded and when I came of age the second part of the bond would take place. The mark on my arm was a result of that bond. My parents were killed by what I now recognized was the Order of the Phoenix. And the voice of the murderer was Albus Dumbledore.

I also recognized that my nightmares, the girl chained to the bed, was a symbol of my power. My power was chained. But by who? I knew that it was escaping in short bursts. But I knew that if I didn't set it free soon, the way it escaped would kill me. But before I could let it go, it had to submit to me and answer my questions.

But how did I set it free? And how did I get answers from myself that I was sure she wasn't willing to give? And if she was within my power, why wasn't she willing to give me my answers? So many questions. Too little time.

I walked from the living room and decided to pay a tribute to my mother but she was not where I left her. She was by a …pensieve!

I bent over it and I was pulled inside. And there, standing in the middle of her mind, was my beautiful mother.

"Honey, I know you are watching this. This is my last memory to give to you. I want you to know how much I love you and that I did not die in vain. I died for you. And what you need to do to repay me is find Tom and live out the rest of your life. Before you ask, Tom Riddle goes by another name. I don't know if the name Lord Voldemort means anything to you. He was already going by it in my time. And he had plans to change his name to that permanently. Find him Hermione. He is the only one that can keep you safe from Albus Dumbledore. I love you dearest Hermione. And your diary is in the grate near the floorboards behind your bed in your room. It will explain everything. I love you. And your Gringotts number is 3241. The key is in my right pocket. All the money goes to you. We have no other relatives in our will. I love you."

The memory disappeared and with tears in my eyes, I scooped up the memory of my mother into a bottle and left the room. I wiped the tears from my eyes and put on my brave face. I had some work to do.

**A/N Ooooh, I wonder what Hermione is going to find? Don't you? Ya know, this was like twelve pages long in Microsoft word and I was like what the…? I didn't even expect it to be that long because I had such writers block. But here ya go. I will now start writing the next chapter.**


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